Method amd combustion apparatus



W. BARSTOW.

METHOD AND coAAusTloN APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC 27| 1920.

Patented Nw. .2 A, A922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

W. BARSTOW.

` METHOD AND COMBUSTION APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILEDl DEC 27.1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented Nov. 2l, i922..

lclltlllfild@ STATES VELCH BARSTOQV, OF SPKANE, VJASHINGTON, ASSGNOR TO THONIAS F. RYAN, OF SOKANE, WASHINGTON.

TVETHOID AND COIVIBUSTON AEPARATUS.

Application filed December 27, 1920.

To all yw/wm t may concern.'

Be it known that l, VELCH Bansrow, a citizen of the United States, residing at Spokane, in the county of Spokane and `citate of lVashington, have invented new and useful Improvements in Methods and Combustion Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in heaters which are especially adapted for use in fruit cars where it is desired to maintain a temperature constantly above a predetermined low temperature, and a temperature otherwise as uniform as possible.

In view of the fact that these cars are tightly closed in cold weather there is no air ingress thereto except by leakage, and therefore, a heater dependent upon any relative extent of natural or other draft is impracticable. Furthermore, the contents of these cars are highly sensitive to impurities in the air and consequently such a heater must be smokeless and odorless in addition to being capable of operating without draft.

It is an object of this invention to provide a heater which can be initially charged at the beginning of a trip to' burn continuously for twenty-four hours, the heater being re` charged each day of the trip. To compensate for different degrees of temperature, l preferably employ a greater or less number of heaters for each car.

@wing to the fact that maintenance and return shipment of heaters involves a great (leal ol expense, it is a feature of this invention to provide a heater of such economical construction that it can be discarded :it the end of a trip.

In accordance with the preferred form of my invention, the heater is in the form of a receptacle which is adapted to be filled with a loose bulk fuel to the height limit of its containing capacity, the heater having means for varying combustion supporting air ingress thereto in accordance with the varying conditions incident to a lowering level of the burningzone, the fuel burning downwardly from the top. In this connection, it may be stated that l prefer to employ a novel form of fuel which constitutes a separate invention and which will subse- Seral No. 433,369.

quently be disclosed in another application in which proper cross reference will be made to this case, and vice versa. Some of the main characteristics of this fuel are that instead of flaming during combustion, it merely glows, and further, instead of lending itself to a rapid combustion it, on the contrary, is slow combustible fuel.

Now therefore, as the container is .filled full with this fuel, and with the same burning downwardly from the top, the accumulating ash, and its blanket action requires not only a different and varying control of air ingress as the burning zone descends tosuccessivcly lower elevations, but this control of air ingress so arranged as to provide for a substantially uniform rate of combustion so that a charged heater will burn for a predetermined period of time.

In this connection, my invention not only relates to the apparatus, but also to the method whereby these novel functions are performed.

lt is a feature of my invention to provide an effective heat insulation for the purpose of reducing` lire danger to a minimum, and in accordance with my invention, the heater body is attached to a base, between which and the heater body, is interposed a heat in` sulating material, it being a special feature of my invention to employ lime as such material.

In order to simplify and facilitate the labor of carrying the heater by hand, the same is provided with a bail and the latter is pivoted off-center te the heater so that gravity will act to tilt the heater, or the lower end thereof, away from the legs of the carrier to permit the latter to freely walk without interference.

A further feature of novelty consists in a lid for the heater which is so co-actively associated with the bail that when the lid is lifted for filling purposes, it will not only be supported by the bail in its elevated position, but it will additionally seek to tilt itself by gravity out of obstructing relation to the open top of the heater thereby greatly facilitating the charging operation thereof.

Other features of novelty will be more fully described in connection with the accompanying drawings and will be more particularly pointed out in and by the appended claims.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a view in elevation of my improved heater.

Figure 2 is a similar View with the greater portion of the structure broken away and shown in section.

Figure 3 is a view showing the lid elevated and tilted to permit of filling or charging the heat-er.

Figure 4 is a view in side elevation showing the lid tilted.

Like characters of reference designate similar parts throughout the different ures of the drawings.

My improved heater includes a 'base which may be of sheet metal and which is shown as having a supporting flange adapted to rest upon the floor. The base includes an upright portion 2 provided with a plurality of openings 3 for free ingress of air. rlhe top of the base has a flat marginal portion 4, extending about the periphery, the central portion 5 being concave or depressed radially inwardly from'the marginal flange 4 to provide a cavity of some considerable cubic contents.

In the preferred form of my invention, I utilize this cavity for holding a heat insulating material preferably of bulk and powdery form. It is a special feature of my invention to employ lime, as indicated atv 6, lime being not only one of the most effective nonconductors of heat but also one of the most economical. This latter factor is especially important in the construction of a heater which is to be discarded at the termination of each usage or trip.

My improved heater body .is superimposed upon the base and includes, as an element thereof, a cylindrical guard 7 having an iinperforate bottom 8 which extends abreast of the top `of the depressed or concave portion 5 and abuts against the flat marginal Harige 4. As will presently appear, the heater is permanently secured to the base, and this feature enables me to effectively close the concave portion in order to retain the lime therein, It will be noted lthat the upright wall of the guard is imperforate and is also corrugated thereby enabling me to obtain rigidity and strength with a very light guage metal.

Inside o f the guard 7, and superimposed upon the bottom. 8, thereof, is the fuel container 9, which like the guard and base is cylindrical in form. The fuel container 9 is of reduced diameter with respect to the guard 7 to provide an annular intervening space 10 therebetween, the function and purpose of which will 'be hereinafter set forth and developed. The lower margin y1l, of

the container 9, is bent outwardly to form a flange, as is clearly shown in Figure 2. A

perforate fuel supporting false bottom 12, ,l is provided for the container 9, and thisy false bottom is slight-ly elevated with respect to the bottom 8, to provide an insulating air space which functions as such notwithstanding the fact that circulation of air is permitted therein, the same being not dead air space. The false bottom 12 extends downwardly at 13 in abutting relation with the retainer wall 9, and thence outwardly at 14, under the flange 11 and over the same as at 15. Rivets 16 extend through these lapped thicknesses, and through the base, to unite Vthe parts as clearly shown in Figure 2. Of course this conventional construction or fabrication may be varied within the skill of a sheet metal worker without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Before entering into further description of the main features of the heater body, I will next describe certain novel features `of lid yand bail construction.

A lid or cover is provid-ed fOr-'the container A9, of said heater body, said cover having a flange 17 fiitting about the container 9, the flange 17 has a top 18'to which is secured a screen 19 whereby the top of the heater will be free to the lair for passage of the latter into the top to support combustion and for ascent of the heated air through said screen after the manner of a register. A. carrying bail is pivotedat 20, to the container 9, at a point below the flange 17,4 and limb sections 21 extend upwardly through the top 18 of the cover in converging relation, as clearly shown in Figure 1. The bail is of resilient metal and the apertures 22 are only slightly enlarged with respect to the cross section of the bail wire sufhciently to. permit the lid to slide upwardly and tilton the bail. At 23, the limbs of the bail are off-set in diverging relation and from these offset portions the bail is gently arched at 24 to provide a convenient grip or handle. Now as the cover .is elevated along 'the bail, the sections Q1' will be spread until the apertures i2 reach the diverging portions whereupon the spreading tension on the bail will be released and the bail will quickly spring or contract to dispose the diverging sections 23 in the apertures 22 thereby supporting the lid upon 'the bail at an elevation above the container.

The purpose of this construction of supporting the lid at an elevation is to facilitate filling the container and I will next describe an additional feature whereby when the lid is thus supported, it will automatically seek to :tilt itself by gravity out of obstructing relation to the open top of the container 9.

By reference to Figure 4, it will be noted that the pivotal connection 20, of the bail, is off center with respect to a vertical line 25 parallel with the axis of the container. Furthermore, the apertures 22 are oii' center and consequently a greater weight A of the lid is on one side of the bail. Thus the lid will seek to assume the position shown in Figure 4, which is nearly vertical, thereby leaving the top of the container 9 free and unobstructed.

Reference will next be'inade to further features of construction of the heater body and to the functions performed thereby.

The fuel supporting bottoni l2 is of perforate construction, as will be seen by reference to Figure 2. Air openings 26 permit of air ingress through space 10 to the bottom of the fuel body or mass 27. Furthermore, the container 9 has alternately disposed perforate and imperforate sections 28 and 29 extending upwardly from the bottom thereof. The guard 7 projects slightly above the perforate sections 28, the reason being to prevent sparks from shooting outwardly and forming a tire menace. This is one function of the guard 7. Above the perforate sections 28, the container 9 is continuously imperforate thereby forming an upper stack section B Tn operation, the container will first be filled with fuel '27 to the height of .its containing capacity. While this fuel is of a linely coniniinuted character, it also has fibrous ingredients which will prevent objectionable discharge through the perforate portions of the heater. The mass of fuel is ignited from the top and initially, coinbustion supporting` air will find ingress through the perforate cover, whereas the heated air will rise or ascend through said cover. If the car is in motion, the jolts and j ars will of course tend to pack the fuel but because of the dry nature thereof, there same jolts and jars will also tend to continuously displace the fuel particles and loosen the upper portions thereof near the burning Zone so that the one defective action will be counter-balanced and offset. by the effective action. However, irrespective of any packing' action that may result, very little combustion supporting air will reach the burning Zone while the same is above the perforate sections 28, or in other words, before the burning Zone descends below the stack section. When combustion is started, there will be very little ash. As combustion proceeds and the burning zone descends, a blanket of ash will forin and of course this ash will have a blanket action `tending to retard combustion as it will tend to gradually close olif air ingress through the top as the ash increases in thickness. l have carefully calculated the size of the container with the action of this burning fuel and [ind that :in iniperforate upper section of the depth shown, together with the accumulating ash, will control and prolong cornbustion thereby preventing a too rapid consumption of fuel.

This is the first burning stage or Zone. After the burning Zone descends to the uppermost openings of the perforate sections 28, then there will be a certain air ingress to support combustion for a further stage and which will off-set the retarding action of the relatively thick blanket of ash. rThe alternately disposed perforate and imperforate sections are calculated and proportioned to limit air ingress at this stage of combustion so that the rate of conibustion will not only be uniform but at substantially the saine rate as 1in the stacl section. Non.' the ash produced from this fuel of a very fine and powdery nature and therefore increasing thickness will not prevent the upper imperforate section l froni performing the function of a. stack. Prior to descent of the burning Zone below the stack, the air passes downwardly through the top and ash then upwardly, thereby passing twice through the ash. Thus there is a progressive decrease of air applied to the rnass while in the stack to that elevation where combustion would be retarded if air were not admitted through. sections 28. Hence the air entering the perforate sections 28 will be drawn radially inwardly to support combustion near the center of the inass. Tf the perforate sections were not in any way restricted, they would, in combination with the stack action, initiate a too rapid rate of combustion of the fuel hence the guard 7. This guard 4" functions to render air ingress to the sections 28 gradually less effective as the burn- Zone descends. Tn other words, the further downwardly the burning zone descends, the more restricted will be the pat-h of the air as it must follow over the tcpv edge and dtscend into the space l0. Fuittherrnore, by reason of the air in the space Vl0 being heated, it will seek to ascend and therefore combustion supporting air ingress will thus be gradually restricted with a view of retarding the rate of combustion to :i` sul stantially uniform rate. This niaj' be termed the second burning stage or stage control.

the burning zone descends to aboutl one-third of the height of the perforated. sections 28, then the inass above the fuel supporting bottom l2 will have been reduced suticiently so that air ingress rnay be taken through the opening 26 and upwardly into the mass through the openings of the false bot-toni l2 This materially increases the air ingress supply, or rather the nie-ans for affording entrance of such air up through the fuel. However, i l, l will likewise be restricted by the heighaol the guard 7 to the end that throughout the combustion process 'there is a complete and mesme of, an imperforate retarding guard extending upwardly alongside of said perforate portion for rendering said perforate portion gradually less eective to air ingress through said'portion as the burning zone descends, and a stack section above said perforate section, for inducing inflow of combustion supporting air.

ll. In a smokeless and odorless heater, a heater body adapted to be filled with fuel with the fuel burning downwardly from the top, said body having a perforate portion extending upwardly from the bottoin of said heater, an imperforate retarding guard extending upwardly alongside of said perforate portion for rendering the latter' gradually less effective to air ingress through said perforate portion as the burning Zone descends, said heater having a stack section above said guard and perforate portion, and the top of said heater being open.

12. In a smokeless and odorless heater, a hollow heater body adapted to be filled with fuel with the fuel burning downwardly from the top, said body having a perforate portion extending upnf'ardly from the bottom of said heater, an imperforate retarding gu-ard extending upwardly alongside of said perforate portion for rendering the latter gradually less effective to air ingress through said perforate portion as the burning zone descends, and said guard being in spaced relation to said perforate portion, the bottom of said body being perforate and opening to the space between said guard and perforate portion for supply of air.

13. The herein-described method of fuel combustion to cause a body of fuel to burn from the top downwardly for a predetermined period, which consists, in igniting the body of fuel at the top thereof, in closing air ingress to the sides of said body from the top downwardly for a portion ofthe height of said body, and in regulating` the rate of air admission to lower portions of said body according to the progress of downward combustion.

In testimony that l. claim the foregoing as my own, l hereby affix my signature.

`WELCH BARSTO'W. 

